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76-629: USS Griffin (AS-13) , originally Mormacpenn , a United States Maritime Commission Type C3 pre-war cargo ship, was launched by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock , Chester, Pennsylvania , 11 October 1939. She served briefly with Moore-McConnack, Inc., was acquired by the Navy in 1940, renamed Griffin (AS-13) and converted to a submarine tender at Robbins Dry Dock and Repair Company , Brooklyn , N.Y. Griffin commissioned 31 July 1941. Her conversion completed in September 1941, Griffin conducted shakedown off

152-608: A degaussing cable for protection against naval mines on 3 January 1941. On 28 May 1941, America was called up to service by the United States Navy , while the ship was at Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands . It was ordered to return to Newport News to be handed over to the Navy. Two German spies, Franz Joseph Stigler and Erwin Wilhelm Siegler, were members of its crew in 1941. While on

228-567: A division of destroyers . On 17 November 1941, Convoy WS12-X reaches Trinidad. All ships were replenished, and the convoy departs Trinidad on 19 November 1941. On 7 December at 2000, the convoy receives a radio communication of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . On 9 December, convoy WS12-X arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. At about 0800 on 13 December 1941, the troopships departed Cape Town headed for Bombay. At 650 on 21 December 1941,

304-402: A 200-mile (320 km) detour through the shallow, coral-studded Sunda Strait . Led by British cruiser HMS  Exeter , the ships slowed to 10 knots (19 km/h), and streaming paravane gear, began the passage. An escorting destroyer steamed between each transport, as they steamed in single-column order. It was a dangerous passing, a small divergence from the charted course could mean

380-594: A disastrous grounding. The screen's commander, Captain Oliver L. Gordon , R.N. , commanding Exeter , desired to arrive at Singapore with as many ships as possible by dawn on 29 January, and thus split up the convoy, sending the faster vessels— West Point , Wakefield , and Empress of Japan —ahead at increased speed under escort of cruisers HMS Exeter , HMS  Durban , HMS  Dragon , and destroyers HMS  Express and HMS  Electra . Proceeding to Singapore via Berhala Strait, Durian Strait, and Philips Channel,

456-553: A man – the troops which it had brought from Halifax, a total of 4,506, while West Point embarked two-thirds of the troops which it had transported, in addition to some which had come out on other ships. All told, it carried some 5,272 men. West Point sailed for Singapore on 9 January, in a "15-knot" convoy, with Captain Kelley as the convoy commodore . In addition to the two American ships, three British transports – Duchess of Bedford , Empress of Japan , and Empire Star – made up

532-643: A reserve naval auxiliary force in the event of armed conflict which was a duty the U.S. merchant fleet had often filled throughout the years since the Revolutionary War. The second role given to the Maritime Commission was to administer a subsidy system authorized by the Act which would offset the differential cost between both building in the U.S. and operating ships under the American flag. Another function given to

608-546: A smaller fleet of ships called the Ready Reserve Force has been mobilized to support both humanitarian and military missions. The last major shipbuilding project undertaken by the Commission was to oversee the design and construction of the super passenger liner SS  United States , which was intended to be both a symbol of American technological might and maritime predominance but also could be quickly converted into

684-502: A ten-year period 900 modern fast merchant cargo ships which would replace the World War I-vintage vessels which made up the bulk of the U.S. Merchant Marine prior to the Act. Those ships were intended to be chartered (leased) to U.S. shipping companies for their use in the foreign seagoing trades for whom they would be able to offer better and more economical freight services to their clients. The ships were also intended to serve as

760-487: A total of 5,777 oceangoing merchant and naval ships and many smaller vessels. A huge postwar contraction followed, with massive sell-offs to foreign militaries and commercial fleets. The last major shipbuilding project undertaken by the Commission was to oversee the design and construction of the super passenger liner SS  United States which was intended to be both a symbol of American technological might and maritime predominance but also could be quickly converted into

836-672: The America until its conversion by the Navy into a troop transport and its commission into the U.S. Navy as the USS West Point . Stigler and Siegler, along with the 31 other German agents of the Duquesne Spy Ring , were later uncovered by the FBI in the largest espionage conviction in U.S. history. Upon conviction, Stigler was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison on espionage charges with two concurrent years for registration violations; Siegler

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912-590: The America , they obtained information about the movement of ships and military defense preparations at the Panama Canal , observed and reported defense preparations in the Canal Zone, and met with other German agents to advise them in their espionage efforts. They operated as couriers transmitting information between the United States and German agents abroad. Stigler worked undercover as chief butcher. Both remained on

988-532: The Coast Guard cutter Ingham , the "station ship" at Lisbon, Portugal . After its final Italian passenger had disembarked on 23 July, and the last German on 24 July, West Point commenced taking on 321 American citizens and 67 Chinese—consular staffs and their families – on 26 July. Returning to New York on 1 August, West Point discharged its passengers and headed south for an overhaul at Portsmouth, Virginia . She then participated in tactical exercises off

1064-537: The Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company . It was one of only a few ocean liners, American or otherwise, to have had its interiors designed by women—the New York firm Smyth, Urquhart & Marckwald . The ornate decor typical of liners of the past was forgone, in favor of a more contemporary and informal design. The aim was to provide an atmosphere of cheerfulness and sophisticated charm. America

1140-695: The North African Campaign to fight the Japanese in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, one disaster after another had plagued the Allied forces . Singapore fell on 15 February; Java on 4 March. West Point carried its embarked troops to Australia and disembarked them at Adelaide and Melbourne before heading across the Pacific toward San Francisco. As the Allies built up for the long road back, West Point participated in

1216-477: The Staten Island quarantine station on 16 July, took on board 137 Italian citizens and 327 German citizens from the consulates of those nations in the United States which had been closed. West Point got under way at 2:55 that afternoon, bound for Portugal , and arrived at Lisbon on 23 July. While there, the ship was visited by Portuguese naval and diplomatic dignitaries; and it transferred supplies to

1292-416: The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy which had been built and opened during World War II and which continues to be funded and operated today as one of the five Federal Service Academies. Responsibility for U.S. merchant shipping has been held by many agencies since 1917. For a history, see: SS America (1939) SS America was an ocean liner and cruise ship built in the United States in 1940 for

1368-470: The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy which had been built and opened during World War II and which continues to be funded as the nation's federally operated maritime academy under 46 USC 310. The purpose of the Maritime Commission was multifold as described in the Merchant Marine Act's Declaration of Policy. The first role was to formulate a merchant shipbuilding program to design and then have built over

1444-713: The USS ; Mount Vernon  (AP-22) and USS  Orizaba detached from the convoy headed for Bombay, and were bound for Mombasa. The remainder of the convoy continued to Bombay under the escort of HMS  Dorsetshire , arriving on 27 December 1941. Wakefield commenced discharging its embarked troops at 1900 at the Ballard Piers, completed her unloading, and shifted berths the next morning. West Point took Wakefield' s former berth while Joseph T. Dickman moored to unload its equipment and troops. Having completed its discharge by 31 December 1941, West Point anchored in

1520-491: The United States Lines and designed by the noted American naval architect William Francis Gibbs . It carried many names in the 54 years between its construction and its 1994 wreck: SS America (carrying this name three different times during its career); troop transport USS West Point ; and SS Australis , Italis , Noga , Alferdoss , and American Star . It served most notably in passenger service as America and

1596-808: The Virginia Capes from 26 to 29 August in company with Wakefield and Mount Vernon . The Atlantic Conference was held on 9 August 1941 in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland , between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt. Besides the "official" agenda, Churchill hoped to obtain considerable assistance from the USA, but the American President had his political hands tied. On 1 September 1941, Roosevelt received an urgent and most secret message asking for US Navy troopships manned by Navy crews and escorted by U.S.N. fighting ships to carry British troops for

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1672-432: The 55th Brigade , Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment , and 100 men of a US Army Field Service company . On 10 November, West Point – in company with five other transports: Wakefield , Mount Vernon , Orizaba , Leonard Wood , and Joseph T. Dickman – got under way for India as Convoy HS-124. En route, they were joined by the aircraft carrier Ranger , the cruisers Vincennes and Quincy , and

1748-430: The American ships to evacuate personnel to Bombay. Accordingly, West Point took on board eight men, 55 women, and 53 children, as well as 670 troops, for passage to India. Wakefield , despite its weakened condition caused by the direct hit on 29 January, embarked two naval ratings, six RAF personnel, and 25 men and one officer of a British Bofors gun detachment. The two ships departed Colombo on 8 February and, escorted by

1824-1038: The Banka Strait unmolested by the seemingly omnipresent Japanese aircraft. Routed to Batavia , Java, to embark more refugees, West Point led Wakefield and Durban through the minefields and anchored in Batavia Roads at 3:05 a.m. on 31 January. HMS Electra —which would be lost in the Battle of the Java Sea 27 February—came alongside eight hours later and transferred 20 naval dockyard personnel, three women, five naval officers' wives, one Free French officer, and an RAF officer to West Point for passage to Ceylon. At 12:40 pm on 1 February, West Point —in company with Wakefield and under escort of Exeter , HMS Encounter , and HMAS  Vampire —got under way. The destroyers eventually went off to perform other duties, and Exeter as well soon dropped away to escort another convoy, leaving

1900-485: The C2s and C3s were converted to Navy auxiliaries, notably attack cargo ships , attack transports , and escort aircraft carriers and many of the tankers became fleet replenishment oilers . The Commission also was tasked with the construction of many hundred "military type" vessels such as Landing Ship, Tank (LST)s and Tacoma -class frigates (PF)s and large troop transports for the Navy and Army Transportation Corps . By

1976-541: The Central and South Pacific through the end of 1943. In 1944, the transport continued its vital workhorse duties, departing San Francisco on 12 January, bound for Nouméa and Guadalcanal ; and from San Pedro, California on 22 February, bound for Nouméa and Milne Bay . It sailed from the latter port and steamed via the Panama Canal to Boston, Massachusetts , where it arrived on 12 June. It conducted five successive voyages to

2052-506: The Commission involved the formation of the U.S. Maritime Service for the training of seagoing ship's officers to man the new fleet. The actual licensing of officers and seamen still resided with the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. President Roosevelt nominated Joseph P. Kennedy first head of the Commission. Kennedy held that position until February 1938 when he left to become US Ambassador to Great Britain. After Kennedy's departure,

2128-694: The East Coast and sailed with a sub squadron to Newfoundland 22 November 1941. Recalled to Newport, Rhode Island , after Pearl Harbor , the ship was assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet , and departed 14 February 1942 for Australia. Griffin arrived Brisbane 15 April 1942 to tend Submarine Squadron 5. Early in the war, the United States developed a major submarine base in Australia; and submarines tended by Griffin struck hard at Japanese shipping while surface forces strengthened themselves for

2204-552: The Greek destroyer Vasilissa Olga , proceeded at 20 knots (37 km/h). Captain Kelley later highly praised the operations of this sole escort. Although heavy weather was encountered en route, the Greek destroyer acquitted itself well, continuing to patrol its station "at all times at high speed ahead of our zig-zag." After discharging her evacuees at Bombay, West Point parted company with Wakefield and proceeded to Suez where she picked up Australian troops who were being withdrawn from

2280-545: The Greek-flagged Australis . It was wrecked as American Star at Playa de Garcey on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands on 18 January 1994. The wreck deteriorated and completely collapsed into the sea. In 2024 it was no longer visible on the ocean surface and had become an artificial reef . America was laid down under the first Maritime Commission contract on 22 August 1938 at Newport News, Virginia by

2356-456: The Japanese steadily pounded Singapore from the air. At each alert, the local workers working dockside would vanish, taking to the shelters and leaving the vital cargo still unloaded. As a result, the unloading was carried out by the crew of West Point , its embarked troops, and 22 local workers who were brought aboard to assist. On 30 January, seven Japanese bombers appeared over the city and were engaged by British Brewster Buffalo fighters. As

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2432-476: The Pacific, sailing 27 April 1943. She arrived Pearl Harbor 4 May 1943 to take up her vital support duties, and remained until 3 January 1944. The ship performed refits, battle repairs, and general upkeep on submarines before sailing to Mare Island to arrive 10 January 1944. Griffin returned to Pearl Harbor 17 March 1944, and departed 8 April 1944 for the great submarine base at Fremantle, Western Australia . She arrived 8 May and immediately set about servicing

2508-585: The UK. Fuel and water would be charged for the escorts to the UK in Trinidad and Cape Town only. The troops would conform to US Navy and ships regulation. Intoxicating liquors were prohibited. It was further agreed that the troops were to rig and man their own anti-aircraft guns to augment the ships batteries. On 3 November, it sailed from Virginia waters and arrived at Halifax , Nova Scotia, on 5 November. There, on 8 & 9 November, it embarked 241 officers and 5,202 men of

2584-539: The United Kingdom before departing Boston on 6 December 1944 for Oran , Algeria ; Casablanca, French Morocco; and Marseille , France. The transport left the Mediterranean on 26 December and proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia. In 1945, West Point voyaged to Italian and French ports, via Oran or Gibraltar , staging from Hampton Roads, Virginia , Boston, or New York. After Germany surrendered , it took part in some of

2660-795: The United Kingdom, West Point sailed for India, via the South Atlantic route, and arrived at Bombay on 29 November, before pushing on for Auckland , New Zealand, the following month. The transport returned via Nouméa , New Caledonia , to San Francisco on 31 January 1943. It remained on the West Coast until 16 February, when it got under way for the South Pacific and retraced its route to Wellington, New Zealand, and Australian ports. It then continued west—calling at Bombay, Massawa , Aden , and Suez—and stopped briefly at Cape Town en route to Rio de Janeiro , Brazil. Eventually arriving at New York on 4 May,

2736-549: The alert continued, 30 more Japanese planes appeared overhead, on course over Keppel Harbor. Several bombs fell on shore, eastward of West Point's moorings, while another stick fell in the water to the southward. In the interim, bombs hit other targets. A small tanker moored near Wakefield was sunk at dockside; bombs fell abreast Empress of Japan ; and Wakefield took a direct hit forward which destroyed its sick bay, killed five men and wounded nine. The last bombs in this stick straddled West Point and showered her with shrapnel. As

2812-569: The arrival of a British convoy from the UK were to load twenty thousand troops. The Prime Minister mentioned in his letter that it would be for the President to say what would be required in replacement if any of these ships were to be sunk by enemy action. Agreements were worked out for the troops to be carried as supernumeraries and rations to be paid out of Lend Lease Funds and officer laundry bills were to be paid in cash. All replenishments of provisions, general stores, fuel and water would be provided by

2888-496: The chairmanship was assumed by Rear Admiral Emory S. Land , USN (ret.), who had been the head of U.S. Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair prior to his appointment to the Commission on the behest of the President and where he had been a deputy commissioner since the founding of the body. The other four members of the Commission in the years before the beginning of World War II were a mix of retired naval officers and men from disciplines of law and business. The man most notable in

2964-488: The doomed city before its fall to the onrushing Japanese troops of General Yamashita . All told, some 1,276 naval officers, their families, dockyard civilians, civilian evacuees, a 16-man Royal Air Force (RAF) contingent, and 225 naval ratings made up the people embarked by 6:00 p.m. on 30 January. Clearing Singapore, West Point and Wakefield headed due west, escorted by HMS Durban . Overcast and squally weather covered their departure and permitted them to transit

3040-458: The effort to aid America's allies in the southwest Pacific with massive contingents of troops. Accordingly, the transport carried men to Wellington , New Zealand , and arrived on 30 May. There, it received orders to return to New York; and it got under way from Melbourne on 8 June, bound for the Panama Canal. It entered the Atlantic on 26 June, and arrived at New York on 2 July. After two voyages to

3116-548: The emergency "acute", Kelley agreed to take on board up to one thousand women and children and such additional men as the British desired to send. With the abandonment of the naval dockyard, untenable in the face of increasingly heavier Japanese bombardments from artillery and aircraft, several dockyard naval and civilian personnel and their families were assigned to West Point for evacuation. Most carried only hand baggage; had little, if any, money; but were all fortunate enough to escape

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3192-599: The end of World War II, both the Emergency and Long Range shipbuilding programs were terminated as there were far too many merchant vessels now for the Nation's peacetime needs. In 1946, the Commission was chaired by Vice admiral William W. Smith and the Merchant Ship Sales Act was passed to sell off a large portion of the ships previously built during the war to commercial buyers, both domestic and foreign. This facilitated

3268-463: The end of the war, U.S. shipyards working under Maritime Commission contracts had built a total of 5,777 oceangoing merchant and naval ships. In early 1942 both the training and licensing was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard for administration, but then late in the fall of 1942, the Maritime Service was transferred to the newly created War Shipping Administration which itself was created for

3344-562: The first Allied submarine repair facilities in the Philippines since they had been surrendered in 1942. She also helped to salvage damaged destroyer La Vallette  (DD-448) . Shifting base, the tender sailed 22 March 1945 via Leyte, and arrived in the Hawaiian Islands 10 April 1945. After a brief stay at Pearl Harbor, she departed 10 May 1945 for Midway, arrived 4 days later, and set up another repair facility for submarines. By that time,

3420-571: The first Pacific offensives. During this period, Griffin also repaired badly needed merchant ships. The tender departed Brisbane for the Fiji Islands 11 November 1942 and 1 December 1942 sailed to Bora Bora to escort Submarine Division 53 to the Panama Canal Zone . Arriving Balboa 7 January 1943, Griffin continued north to Oakland, California , arriving 20 January 1943. After repairs at San Diego , California, Griffin again departed for

3496-507: The first vessel contracted for was SS  America , which was owned by the United States Line and operated in the passenger liner and cruise service during 1940-1. Upon the U.S. entry into World War II, America was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy and became USS  West Point . In the prewar years, several dozen other merchant ships were built for the Commission under its original 500 ship Long Range Shipbuilding Program but it

3572-468: The group Land brought to the Commission was Commander Howard L. Vickery , USN, who, like Land, was a naval officer closely involved in the construction of new Navy vessels. Vickery became responsible for overseeing the Commission's shipbuilding functions including the design and construction of the ships, developing shipyards to build them and companies to manufacture the complicated and highly specialized ship's machinery. As World War II drew closer, Vickery

3648-756: The group steamed through these bodies of water in bright moonlight which made navigational aids unnecessary. Upon their arrival off Singapore, the ships lay to in an exposed position, beyond the range of shore-based antiaircraft guns, until pilots could be obtained to bring the ships in. Since the naval base came under daily heavy air raids, the transports proceeded to Keppel Harbor , the commercial basin at Singapore, where they could discharge their troops and cargo. Securing abreast godowns (warehouses) 52, 53, and 54, West Point commenced off-loading equipment and disembarking its troops. All but 670 engineer troops, who had been ordered retained on board, were ashore before nightfall. Air raids , meanwhile, continued until midnight as

3724-604: The growing submarine fleet. The tender remained at Fremantle until 20 November 1944. During her stay, the crew established a rubber fabrication shop there to address shortages of rubber parts among the submarine fleet. Griffin then moved closer to the Japanese shipping lanes at Mios Woendi , New Guinea , arriving 9 December 1944. There she tended submarines, surface craft of all kinds, and even lent her repair equipment to shore facilities. Griffin remained at Mios Woendi until 1 February 1945 when she sailed for Subic Bay , via Leyte . Arriving 10 February 1945, Griffin set up one of

3800-631: The horn and certain ventilation uptakes. Due to conflict having begun in Europe in World War II , in which the United States was still neutral, the ship's name, along with "United States Lines" and two American flags were painted in large size to be clearly visible on both sides of the hull . At night, it sailed while fully illuminated, as further precaution. Additionally, it did not immediately take to its intended North Atlantic service route, instead sailing in safer waters. It was, however, quietly fitted with

3876-573: The initial " Magic Carpet " voyages, bringing home American troops from the European battlefronts. Following its last European voyage—to Le Havre , France— West Point was transferred to the Pacific Fleet . It departed Boston on 10 December 1945, transited the Panama Canal, and proceeded to Manila , Philippines via Pearl Harbor . Retracing the same route, it docked at pier 88 in New York on 7 February 1946 and soon got under way for Hampton Roads, where it

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3952-611: The purpose of overseeing the operation of the fleet of merchant ships being built by the Emergency Program for the needs of the U.S. Armed Services. The WSA was added to the list of wartime agencies created within the Roosevelt Administration and was intended to relieve the already full plate of responsibilities of the Commission, yet they shared the same Chairman in Admiral Land and so worked very closely together. With

4028-908: The purpose of reinforcing the Middle East. On 4 September the US destroyer, USS Greer (DD-145) , came under an unsuccessful U-boat attack. Roosevelt gave authority to the US Navy to "shoot to kill". On 5 September the President assured the British leader that six vessels would be provided to carry twenty thousand troops and would be escorted by the American Navy. The chief of Naval Operations ordered troop ships divisions seventeen and nineteen, on 26 September 1941, to prepare their vessels for approximately six months at sea. These transports were to load to capacity with food, ammunition medical supplies, fuel and water and were to arrive at Halifax, NS on or about 6 November and after

4104-406: The raid lifted, West Point sent two medical officers and 11 corpsmen on board Wakefield , at the latter's request, to render medical assistance. Later that morning, Captain Kelley attended a conference with British authorities, who informed him that his ship was to be used to carry a contingent of Australian troops from Suez to Singapore and to transport refugees and evacuees to Ceylon . With

4180-508: The rebuilding of the fleets of both allied nations such as Great Britain, Norway and Greece which had lost a majority of their prewar vessels to the Battles of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Although not sold outright to nations that were enemies during the war, U.S. merchant ships helped nations such as Japan, which had lost many hundreds of its merchant vessels to the Allies' submarine offensive in

4256-460: The remainder of the van. Escorted by British light cruiser HMS  Caledon until this ship was relieved by light cruiser HMS  Glasgow at 1630 on 22 January, the convoy's escort soon swelled to three cruisers and four destroyers as the convoy neared Java . Japanese submarine activities near the Indonesian archipelago prompted concern for the safe arrival of the valuable ships, hence

4332-462: The ship subsequently made two voyages to Casablanca , French Morocco before sailing for Bombay via the southern Atlantic route. Calling at Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town en route, the big transport continued, via Bombay and Melbourne, on for the West Coast of the United States. Soon thereafter, West Point began transporting troops to Australia and continued making voyages there and to Allied bases in

4408-416: The ship's stability. Due to prevailing low-water conditions at Bombay at this point, neither West Point nor Wakefield could go alongside piers in the harbor to either load equipment or troops. Thus, the embarkation and loading procedures had to be carried out by the tedious process of embarking troops and loading supplies from smaller ships and lighters brought alongside. Wakefield embarked – almost to

4484-513: The shipyards and joined the ranks of the shipbuilding workforce. From 1939 through the end of World War II, the Maritime Commission funded and administered the largest and most successful merchant shipbuilding effort in world history, producing thousands of ships and other vessels, including Liberty ships , Victory ships , and others, notably Type B barges; Type C1 , Type C2 , Type C3 , and Type C4 freighters; Type R refrigerator ships; T1 , T2 , and T3 tankers , and Type V tugs. Most of

4560-415: The stream on the morning of 2 January 1942 and awaited further orders until 4 January, when British authorities asked Captain Kelley, of West Point , if his ship and Wakefield could be brought under 30-foot (9.1 m) draught to make passage for Singapore. Kelley responded that it could be done, but this would entail discharging ballast and expelling some of the ship's fresh water supply—thus endangering

4636-579: The submarines supported by Griffin had practically annihilated Japanese merchant shipping and had played a decisive role in the great Pacific offensive. She remained at Midway until 10 September 1945, then sailed to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco , entering the bay 24 September. Decommissioned at Mare Island 12 October 1945, the ship was placed in reserve. Later she transferred to the Stockton group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, where she remained in reserve, in service, tending reserve submarines, until at least 1967. She

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4712-682: The two big troopships on their own. While they were en route, disconcerting news came over the radio. Japanese I-boats (identified after the war as I-162 and I-153) had been active in the vicinity, sinking six ships between them. West Point acquired an extra passenger while en route; for, on 4 February, a baby boy was born on board. Colombo Harbor, Ceylon, where they arrived on 6 February, was so crowded that British authorities could not permit Wakefield to repair its damage there. The passengers, in turn, experienced much difficulty in arranging for suitable transportation ashore. In addition, neither transport could fully provision. British authorities requested

4788-401: The utmost in contemporary American design, making use of stainless steel , ceramics , and synthetics. America was originally constructed with low funnels in order to give the ship a modern, streamlined appearance. Very early in its career, however, the height of the funnels was increased by 16 feet, due to heavy soot deposits on the decks. The forward funnel was in actuality a dummy, housing

4864-569: The war years. Ships not disposed of through the Ship Sales Act were placed into one of eight National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) sites maintained on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. On several occasions in the postwar years ships in the reserve fleets were activated for both military and humanitarian aid missions. The last major mobilization of the NDRF came during the Vietnam War . Since then,

4940-457: The western Pacific , recover their merchant shipping capacity via the loan of vessels and the carrying of relief cargoes to war ravaged Europe. Ships were also used in both the rebuilding programs under the Marshall Plan and the transport of food aid sent during the desperate winter of 1945-46 when famine loomed large over much of the European continent. For the next 25 years, in ports all around

5016-409: The world one could find dozens of ships which had been built during the war but which now were used in peace. Many of those same ships continued to sail until the early 1980s but most had been sold for scrap in the 1960s and 1970s as more modern designs were developed and more efficient slow speed diesel engines introduced to replace the steamships which predominated those built by the Commission during

5092-495: The world's fastest naval troop transport. The Maritime Commission was abolished on 24 May 1950, and its functions were divided between the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission which was responsible for regulating shipping trades and trade routes and the United States Maritime Administration , which was responsible for administering the construction and operating subsidy programs, maintaining NDRF, and operating

5168-416: The world's fastest naval troop transport. The Maritime Commission was abolished on 24 May 1950, and its functions were divided between the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission which was responsible for regulating shipping trades and trade routes and the United States Maritime Administration , which was responsible for administering the construction and operating subsidy programs, maintaining NDRF, and operating

5244-459: Was SS  America . Owned by the United States Lines , she briefly operated in the passenger liner and cruise service before being converted into a high-speed transport, per her design. From 1939 through the end of World War II, the Maritime Commission funded and administered the largest and most successful merchant shipbuilding effort in world history. By the end of the war, U.S. shipyards working under Maritime Commission contracts had built

5320-530: Was commissioned for service under the command of Captain Frank H. Kelley, Jr. By the time the conversion was completed, life-rafts covered the promenade deck windows, "standee" bunks could be found everywhere, several anti-aircraft weapons were installed, all of the windows were covered, the ship was painted in a camouflage gray color, and the troop-carrying capacity was increased to 7,678. The USS West Point soon proceeded to New York City and, while anchored off

5396-676: Was launched on 31 August 1939 and was sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt , wife of then-president of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt . Her cousin, Kermit Roosevelt , was one of the founders of United States Lines. The liner entered service on 10 August 1940, undertaking its maiden voyage as the flagship of the United States Lines. As originally designed, America could carry 543 in cabin class, 418 in tourist class, 241 in third class, and 643 crew. The interior accommodations were styled by architects Eggers & Higgins to be

5472-505: Was not until the late fall of 1940 the critical importance of the Commission to the defense of the lifeline to Great Britain and to the national mobilization for war became apparent when the beginnings of the Emergency Shipbuilding program were laid. Together, all the Maritime Commission's shipbuilding program became known as Ships for Victory and great pride was taken in it by the many thousands of ordinary citizens went to work in

5548-480: Was released from troop-carrying service on 22 February. Its last voyage under the name West Point was a short trip from Portsmouth to Newport News for reconversion to a passenger liner. There, six days later, it was officially decommissioned, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 March, and transferred to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration . During its naval service, it carried

5624-583: Was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on espionage charges and a concurrent two-year term for violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act . America was moored at Norfolk, Virginia , and acquired by the Navy on 1 June 1941 to be used as a troop transport . The ship was renamed the USS West Point (AP-23), the second U.S. Navy ship of the name. It entered the Norfolk Ship Yards on 6 June 1941 for conversion and on 15 June 1941, it

5700-476: Was stricken in 1972 and transferred to MARAD . She was sold in 1973. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . The entry can be found here . United States Maritime Commission As a symbol of the rebirth of the U.S. Merchant Marine and Merchant Shipbuilding under the Merchant Marine Act, the first vessel contracted for

5776-490: Was very much at the forefront of putting into place the Emergency Shipbuilding Program which men like Henry J. Kaiser were so instrumental in developing into an industry which would perform some of the greatest feats of wartime industrial production ever previously witnessed and never since matched. As a symbol of the rebirth of the U.S. Merchant Marine and Merchant Shipbuilding under the Merchant Marine Act,

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